Hydraulic drive systems providing motive power in various applications, including providing power to drive wheels, are known in the art. In various applications, known hydraulic drive systems, used power drive wheels, have one or more hydraulic motors that continually connected and engaged with each drive wheel.
Many hydraulic drive system applications do not require the hydraulic motors to always provide the motive power, and consequently, the hydraulic motors are disengaged when not in use to prevent a resistance that slows the drive wheel and decreases the useful life of the hydraulic motor. However, known hydraulic drive systems are difficult to disengage and are disengaged manually. Known hydraulic drive systems thus decrease efficiency by not permitting simple engagement and disengagement, and by not optimally engaging and disengaging drive wheels depending on the required use of the hydraulic motors.